The big debate surrounding this year's Super Bowl is not whether the San Francisco 49ers should be four-point favorites but rather should advertisers release their commercials early.

In the last two years, a growing number of Super Bowl advertisers have unveiled their spots several days before the big game to build excitement on the Internet. Early releases and, in some cases, minute-long viral videos designed to tease to a Super Bowl commercial are strategic ploys to create an instant social media fan base — acolytes who will spread the word or better yet post a clip of the ad on their Facebook pages.

"But now there is a feeling that you get more bang for your buck if you hold the commercial back," brand strategist Adam Hanft says. "Last year, by the time we rolled into Super Bowl weekend, people were already tired of the spots — before the game even started."

Advertisers are eager to get the biggest bounce possible from their sizable investments.

CBS sold 30-second spots in this year's Super Bowl on Feb. 3 for an average $3.8 million — up 7 percent over last year's rate. And some marketers are ordering 60-second spots, a $7.5-million expenditure for the air time on top of the cost of production, which could add an additional $1 million-plus, to the price tag.

Advertisers are divided on whether to release their spots early, according to interviews.

"We have been watching that debate closely," says Paul Chibe, vice president of U.S. marketing for Anheuser-Busch, the perennial leader of Super Bowl advertising. "This year, there are some ads that we are going to hold back and a few that we are releasing early."

Los Angeles-based Paramount Farms is busy preparing its first Super Bowl ad for its Wonderful Pistachios brand. Last year, Paramount Farm's sister company Teleflora, released its Super Bowl commercial early — to mixed results.

But Wonderful Pistachios has a potent weapon: Psy, the South Korean rapper and Internet sensation who notched 1 billion views of his "Gangnam Style" video on YouTube.Paramount Farms hopes its ad will go viral — during the game.

"The Super Bowl is one of our largest investments, and from a marketing standpoint, we feel we can have a lot more talk value and punch" by holding back, says Marc Seguin, vice president for marketing for Paramount Farms.

"What's a better 'big reveal' than unveiling your commercial before 100 million people who are viewing it all at once?" Seguin asks.

Mike Sheldon, chief executive of Deutsch LA, has a different view. His ad agency created much excitement last year for its "Star Wars"-themed Super Bowl commercial by releasing a minute-long teaser video, "The Bark Side," with barking dogs in "Star Wars" costumes a couple of weeks before the game.

"You'd be crazy not to release early," Sheldon says. "There is so much excitement and attention paid to the Super Bowl prior to the game. ... People are actively trying to figure out who will have the most creative spot and the most innovative digital applications."

Deutsch LA last week released a teaser for its Taco Bell commercial, which features a wild 87-year-old geezer taking an electric cart on a joy ride. The YouTube video has logged more than 350,000 views.

The decisions overall seem to be mixed.

"If all the advertisers released their ads early then the Super Bowl telecast wouldn't be special anymore," Chibe says. "It would become just another Sunday night and not the premiere event of the year on television."